4/9/12…Jenna McDaniel @ Kick Butt Coffee…NOT

I was pretty excited to be heading back out to my first show in three weeks. I was definitely experiencing live music withdrawal. After everything that had gone down in my apartment, I was finally ready to get back in the game. I decided to check out the original location of Kick Butt Coffee since I had already seen a cool, hip-hop show at the Triangle location (now closed). What I didn’t know was that it was in such a weird spot. It’s in a little strip mall with no real inviting storefronts to attract you in. In fact, driving down Airport Blvd, I passed by a decrepit, run-down, boarded-up IHOP. Yuck. So not appetizing. But I was looking forward to seeing the teen artist Jenna McDaniel, so I ignored the exterior of the neighborhood and ducked in to Kick Butt. To my surprise, the first person I saw, immediately upon walking in, was a former classmate. Now, let me just throw out there, the last time I had seen this classmate, he & I were no longer on speaking terms. I don’t want to go into the details of why, but let’s just say, this is NOT a happy person. I know I can bring the “angry” out of people, but this guy has a permanent layer of seething. I will refer to him as “Angry Man”. When we first saw each other, we were both so shocked that I think we BOTH forgot that we weren’t talking to each other. Granted, I haven’t seen him since last year, so it would’ve been bad form to just completely ignore him. So we started talking, catching up in a manner of speaking, and it was then that I found out that he worked there and that Jenna McDaniel wasn’t going on till 7pm. The website said 5:30 pm, or so I thought. The Reverbnation widget that appears on top of the Kick Butt Coffee website shows that the first showtime is 5:30, but it has the artists in descending order of headliner to opener. It doesn’t show each artist’s performance time, so it’s a little confusing. I never thought to scroll down, but apparently if you do, there’s ANOTHER calendar showing each artist that is performing and their start time. UGH!! Someone needs to redo this website. So now, not only do I run into the last person I want to see, but the show I wanted to see starts 90 minutes later than I had thought. No way I was gonna stick around. Usually when I go out I’m at a venue for no more than an hour and that all depends on how much I like the spot and the artist performing. The guy that actually did go on at 5:30 was not my cup of tea…at all!! I’m not even sure why they left this location open and closed the Triangle location. This spot seemed more rundown and smaller…but maybe that was just the feeling of the walls closing in on me. But what do I know? I guess it all comes down to numbers. And according to Angry Man, this location does better. After talking to Angry Man for a while, I realized that he was still as angry and arrogant and clueless as ever. It started to get uncomfortable and he was ready to leave, so I decided to make my escape. He said he was about to leave, so I innocently said I was gonna leave too, “Let’s go.” He got all bent out of shape as if I was inviting him somewhere. Ummm, I was just gonna walk out with him. So awkward!!!! Needless to say, I don’t plan on going back to this location, if only because I absolutely do NOT want to run into Angry Man again. I hope that Badd InFluinz, Petey Popoff, & their crew can find a more deserving spot to showcase themselves. I think they can do way better!! As for anyone else interested in seeing music in a small coffee bar with duct-taped booths, go for it. Kick Butt Coffee is your joint.